Once again, social media is abuzz with discussions on Kerala’s alarming connection to global terrorism. The case of Mohammed Saji Kuthirummal, a Keralite suicide bomber who attacked a Gurudwara in Kabul, has reignited debates on the rising threat of Islamic radicalization in the state.
And this is not the first time ISIS has featured him in its magazine.
Earlier, ISIS had also mentioned him as a Mujahid.
Mohammed Sajid Kuthirummal, also known as Abu Khalid al-Hindi, was one of the suicide bombers in Gurdwara attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 25 Sikhs pic.twitter.com/SEMs1aOBDr
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) March 5, 2025
NIA also listed him under wanted list:
On March 25, 2020, Kuthirummal, a shopkeeper from Kerala, carried out a suicide bombing at a Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul, Afghanistan, killing 25 Sikh devotees. Now, his name has appeared in an ISIS magazine, glorifying him as a “religious warrior.” He is one among hundreds of Keralites who have fled India to join the terror outfit, undergoing training for jihadist attacks.
#Shocking ISIS terrorist from Kerala carried out the attack on Gurudwara in Kabul: ISIS Khorasan claims the attack was carried out by Abu Khalild al-Hindi aka Abdul Khayoom: https://t.co/8gpntNZAHC via @eOrganiser
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) March 27, 2020
This revelation underscores two chilling realities:
Kerala’s growing footprint in global terror operations – Over the years, numerous Islamic terror acts across the world have had links to Kerala.
The savage Paris attacks on November 13, 2015, which left 130 dead, led French investigators to Thrissur, Kerala, to interrogate Subaharni Hai Moideen.
2015 Paris Attacks: French investigation team in Kerala to probe ISIS terrorists nabbed from Kannur: https://t.co/63OWh5kgRz
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) December 6, 2018
The 2019 Easter bombings in Colombo, which killed 269 people, triggered NIA raids in Kasaragod and Palakkad, further exposing Kerala’s deep-rooted terror connections.
Political denial and inaction – Leaders of RSS, BJP, and Sangh-affiliated organizations have long warned about the presence of ISIS sleeper cells in Kerala, alleging that hundreds of Keralites have left the country to join the terror network. However, both the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have repeatedly dismissed these claims as “Hindu fanatic exaggerations.” The CPM continues to argue that ISIS is a “capitalist-imperialist” fabrication by the US and Israel, while conveniently ignoring the growing radicalization problem in their own backyard.
#Shocking ISIS- Al-Qaeda presence in Kerala: Students rally in support of Islamic terrorist organisations
Video footage released by Janam TV featured students holding flags of terrorist organisations and rallying in solidarity with terrorist outfits https://t.co/5E3DuiMSNv
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) December 29, 2018
Despite mounting evidence, neither the ruling CPM nor the opposition Congress seems ready to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. As Kerala’s terror links continue to surface, Keralites are left wondering—how many more such revelations will it take before the state’s leadership wakes up to this harsh reality?
Many security analysts have concluded that Islamic terrorism begins with the assertion of a separate identity—first through daily habits and lifestyle choices, strictly adhering to religious texts. Gradually, these practices become central to life, reinforcing the belief that spreading Islam is the ultimate objective. This ideology then escalates to glorifying self-sacrifice, framing it as a noble act, and perpetuating a cycle in which those who die for the cause are celebrated as martyrs.
Over time, this mindset has entrenched itself in tightly knit Muslim circles in India through various civil or political organizations, particularly in madrasas, where individuals born into Islam are compelled to embrace these doctrines, effectively making them prisoners of thought and religious dogma. Any attempt to think beyond religious texts or question them in the pursuit of truth is met with severe consequences—often death. This rigid ideological and psychological framework suppresses free thought and curtails the liberty to act with reason.
